Main
Connor M. French
Education
PhD Candidate, Biology- Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior
New York, New York
City University of New York
current - 2018
- Population genetic patterns and processes from local to global scales
M.S., Zoology
Carbondale, Illinois
Southern Illinois University
2018 - 2016
- Systematics, phylogeography, and landscape genetics of the Ameerega petersi group (family Dendrobatidae)
- Cooperative Wildlife Research Lab
B.S., Biology- Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior
Austin, Texas
University of Texas
2015 - 2011
- Includes coursework from the University of North Texas
Research Experience
Graduate Research Assistant
Michael J. Hickerson Lab
City University of New York
current - 2018
- Investigating evolutionary responses to environmental change across spatial scales.
Software Developer
Andrew Rominger
University of Maine
current - 2022
- Developing an R Shiny web application to simulate community assembly using the Rules of Life Engine model. It is meant to facilitate education and research.
Graduate Research Assistant
Jason L. Brown Lab
Southern Illinois University
2018 - 2016
- Completed thesis work on the evolution of Andean poison frogs.
Research Assistant
Texas Biodiversity Collections
University of Texas
2016 - 2016
- Herpetology Division
- Supported data collection and collections management for conservation efforts.
Undergraduate Researcher
Daniel I. Bolnick Lab
University of Texas
2014 - 2013
- Completed an independent project through the National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates. Experimental design, field work in British Columbia, lab work, data analysis, and first-author publication.
Undergraduate Researcher
David Cannatella Lab
University of Texas
2014 - 2013
- Field work in support of frog acoustic research.
Field Technician
Middlesex, Belize
Toucan Ridge Ecology and Education Society
2014 - 2014
- Designed and executed field protocols for monitoring amphibian populations.
Collections Assistant
Texas Biodiversity Collections
University of Texas
2014 - 2014
- Ichthyology Division
- Collected and analyzed fish morphometric data for taxonomic research and digitized research collections.
Teaching Experience
Ecology and Evolution
CCNY Biology Department
New York, NY
2022 - 2022
- TA, BIO 228
- Led and prepared labs.
Reproducible Research
City College of New York
New York, NY
2022 - 2022
- Co-organizer and panelist. 1.5 hour panel on techniques for reproducible research.
- Hosted for members of the Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior PhD program.
R for Reproducible Scientific Analysis
Columbia University
New York, NY
2021 - 2021
- Invited workshop.
- Half-day online workshop as part of the Pre-Statistics Course Bootcamp.
- Facilitated by Software Carpentries.
Introduction to Text Analysis in R
CUNY Graduate Center
New York, NY
2021 - 2021
- 1.5 hour online workshop for CUNY Graduate Center faculty and students.
- Hosted on rstudio.cloud.
- Given as part of the GC Digital Fellows.
Digital Research Institute
CUNY Graduate Center
New York, NY
2021 - 2020
- Five day series of workshops introducing CUNY faculty and students to digital tools for research.
- Two sessions- one in January 2020 and one in February 2021.
- Led the R track.
Reproducible Data Analysis in R
CUNY Graduate Center
New York, NY
2020 - 2020
- 2.5 hour workshop on using RMarkdown and github for reproducible data analysis.
- Hosted within the workr R package as an interactive tutorial.
- Given as part of the GC Digital Fellows
Data Visualization in R
CUNY Graduate Center
New York, NY
2020 - 2020
- 2.5 hour workshop on using ggplot2 for data visualization.
- Hosted within the workr R package as an interactive tutorial.
- Given as part of the GC Digital Fellows
Exploring population structure in R with adegenet and sNMF
CUNY Graduate Center
New York, NY
2020 - 2020
- 1.5 hour online workshop given to an international group of evolutionary biology faculty and graduate students as part of the four day Bioinformatics Bootcamp for Ecology and Evolution.
Introduction to R and RStudio
CUNY Graduate Center
New York, NY
2020 - 2020
- Two hour online workshop for CUNY Graduate Center faculty and students.
- Given as part of the GC Digital Fellows.
Introduction to population structure inference in R
SIUC Zoology Department
Carbondale, IL
2019 - 2019
- Invited workshop.
- Two hour workshop for Zoology graduate and undergraduate students.
Introductory R and RStudio
CUNY Graduate Center
New York, NY
2019 - 2019
- Invited workshop.
- 1.5 hour workshop for graduate students in the Quantitative Zoogeography graduate course.
Bioinformatic processing of ultraconserved elements for phylogenetic analysis
SIUC Zoology Department
Carbondale, IL
2019 - 2019
- Two hour workshop to introduce graduate students to a bioinformatic pipeline.
SLiM 5-day workshop
CUNY Biology Department
New York, NY
2019 - 2019
- Co-organized five full-day workshop on SLiM population genetic simulation program
Data Wrangling in R
CUNY Graduate Center
New York, NY
2019 - 2019
- 2.5 hour workshop on using the tidyverse for data manipulation.
- Hosted within the workr R package as an interactive tutorial.
- Given as part of the GC Digital Fellows
BioSkills
SIUC Biology Department
Carbondale, IL
2018 - 2017
- TA, BIO 212
- Co-developed material for new writing and discussion-based course section.
- Concurrently ran ecology and developmental biology sections.
Introduction to Evolution and Ecology Lab
SIUC Biology Department
Carbondale, IL
2017 - 2017
- TA, BIO 212
- Led and prepared labs.
Vertebrate Anatomy Lab
SIUC Zoology Department
Carbondale, IL
2017 - 2017
- TA, ZOOL 418
- Led and prepared labs.
- Advised undergraduate lab assistant.
Reptile and amphibian survey and capture techniques
SIUC Zoology Department
Carbondale, IL
2017 - 2017
- Invited lecture, Curation of Collections (PLB 401).
- One hour lecture on best practices for herpetological surveys.
Appropriate techniques for identifying and handling reptiles and amphibians in the field.
SIUC Zoology Department
Carbondale, IL
2017 - 2017
- Invited lecture, SIUC Wildlife Techniques (ZOOL 469).
- One hour lecture and field demonstration on best practices for herpetological surveys.
Introductory Biology for Non-Majors Lab
SIUC Zoology Department
Carbondale, IL
2016 - 2016
- TA, ZOOL 115
- Led and prepared labs.
Instructor
Camp Einstein Afterschool STEM Program
Austin, TX
2016 - 2016
- Summer afterschool program for early elementary school students.
Biostatistics
UT Biology Department
Austin, TX
2015 - 2014
- Undergraduate TA
- Assisted graduate TA with leading and grading R programming labs, and facilitating course discussion.
Selected Writing
Sonification for Data Communication
N/A
New York, NY
2021
- Post introducing the concept of sonification, its uses, and its benefits.
RStudio Cloud for Education
N/A
New York, NY
2020
- Post outlining the advantages of using the RStudio Cloud system for teaching.
Funding sources for undergraduate research in ecology and evolution
N/A
New York, NY
2020
- Post highlighting funding resources for undergraduate research
PDIG Training Grant Spotlight: Connor French
N/A
New York, NY
2019
- Overview of a project I used the Provost’s Digital Innovation Grant to prepare for.
Interactively explore geographic data in R using leaflet
N/A
New York, NY
2019
- Walk through of creating an interactive map in R.
Preprints
Global determinants of the distribution of insect genetic diversity
bioRxiv. 10.1101/2022.02.09.479762
N/A
2022
- French, C.M., Bertola, L.D., Carnaval, A.C., Economo, E.P., Kass, J.M., Lohman, D.J., Marske, K.A., Meier, R., Overcast, I., Rominger, A.J., Staniczenko, P., Hickerson, M.J.
Publications
Forest cover and geographical distance influence fine-scale genetic structure of leaf-toed geckos in the tropical dry forests of western Mexico
Biological Journal of the Linnean Society. 137(4), pp. 686-699
N/A
2022
- French, C.M., Berezin, C.T., Overcast, I., De La Cruz, F.R.M., Basu, S., Bernal, R.L.M., Murphy, R.W., Hickerson, M.J., Blair, C.
Phylogenetic relationships and systematics of the Amazonian poison frog genus Ameerega using ultraconserved genomic elements
Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 142, 106638.
N/A
2020
- Wilson, G.X., French, C.M., Twomey, E.M., Chávez, G., Prates, I, von May, R., la Riva, I.D., Lötters, S., Reichle, S., Serrano-Rojas, S.J., Whitworth, A., Brown, J.L.
Morphological correlates of invasion in Florida cane toad (Rhinella marina) populations: Shortening of legs and reduction in leg asymmetry as populations become established
Acta Oecologica. 109, 103652
N/A
2020
- Rubio, A.O., French, C.M., Catenazzi, A.
Speciation with introgression: Phylogeography and systematics of the Ameerega petersi group (Dendrobatidae).
Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 138, 31-42.
N/A
2019
- French, C.M., Deutsch, M.S., Chávez G., Almora C.E., Brown, J.L.
The tadpole of Ameerega boehmei in southeastern Bolivia
Zootaxa. 4661, 1.
N/A
2019
- French, C.M., Burkette, C., Reichle, S., Brown, J.L.
Geographical variation in colour of female threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus).
PeerJ. 6:e4807.
N/A
2018
- French, C.M., Ingram, T., and Bolnick, D.I.
Rana juliani. Vocalization.
Mesoamerican Herpetology. 4(1). pp. 170.
N/A
2017
- French, C.M., Kilborn, V., and Jäger, K.L.
Diadophis punctatus regalis (Regal Ringneck Snake). DIET.
Herpetological Review. 48(2). pp. 448.
N/A
2017
- French, C.M.
SDMtoolbox 2.0: the next generation python-based: GIS toolkit for landscape genetic, biogeographic and species distribution model analyses.
PeerJ. 5:e4095.
N/A
2017
- Brown, J.L., Bennett, J., and French, C.M.
Talks and Posters
Estimating spatial demographic patterns in a dynamic environment with species distribution models and genome-wide data
Evolution
N/A
2022
- French, C.M., Hickerson, M.J., Carnaval, A.C.
- Oral presentation
- Presidential symposium: Species distributions and coexistence: the intersection of evolution and ecology.
Determinants of the global distribution of genetic diversity in terrestrial insects
New York Species Distribution Modeling Discussion Group
N/A
2021
- French, C.M.
- Invited presentation
Comparative phylogeography of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest leaf litter lizards (genus Enyalius)
World Congress of Herpetology
N/A
2020
- French, C.M., Damasceno, R., Rodrigues, M., Carnaval, A.C., Hickerson, M.J.
- Oral presentation
Using genetics to understand species responses to climate change
New York City College of Technology- Systematics Undergraduate Course
N/A
2020
- French, C.M.
- Invited presentation
A dynamic history in the Tropical Andes: phylogeography and systematics of the Ameerega petersi group (Dendrobatidae)
Evolution
N/A
2019
- French, C.M., and Brown, J.L.
- Oral presentation
Predicting global insect genetic diversity
Evolution
N/A
2019
- French, C.M., Bertola, L., Hickerson, M.J.
- Poster presentation
Climate-driven diversification in a clade of Peruvian poison frogs
Evolution
N/A
2017
- French, C.M., Brown, J.L.
- Oral presentation
Climate fluctuation as a driver of diversification in a clade of Peruvian poison frogs
Joint Meeting of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists
N/A
2017
- French, C.M., Brown, J.L.
- Oral presentation
Morphological divergence among multiple Notropis oxyrhynchus populations
American Fisheries Society
N/A
2015
- French, C.M.
- Poster presentation
Morphological assessment of hybridization between two ranid species, Lithobates juliani and L. vaillanti
Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles
N/A
2015
- French, C.M.
- Oral presentation
Peer Review
Journal of Biogeography, Biotropica, Environmental Biology of Fishes, Molecular Ecology, Global Ecology and Biogeography
N/A
N/A
N/A
Awards and Honors
Graduate Center Digital Fellowship
City University of New York
N/A
2021 - 2019
- $56,250
- $28,125/year
Helen and Frederick Gaige Fund
American Society of Ichthyology and Herpetology
N/A
2020
- $900
Provost’s Pre-Dissertation Research Fellowship for the Sciences
City University of New York
N/A
2020
- $5,000
Student Scholarship
World Congress of Herpetology
N/A
2020
- $940
Graduate Research Excellence Grant RC Lewontin Early Award
Society for the Study of Evolution
N/A
2019
- $2,300
Charles & Florence Foote Teaching Award in Zoology
Southern Illinois University at Carbondale
N/A
2018
- $750
Biodiversity Under Environmental Change Seed Grant
City College of New York
N/A
2018
- $2,500
Digital Initiatives Training Grant
City University of New York
N/A
2018
- $500
Zoology Graduate Student Association Travel Award
Southern Illinois University at Carbondale
N/A
2017
- $100
Cooperative Wildlife Research Lab Featured Graduate Student
Southern Illinois University at Carbondale
N/A
2017
Undergraduate Research Fellowship
University of Texas at Austin
N/A
2015
- $1,000
University Honors
University of Texas at Austin
N/A
2014
General Education Scholarship
University of North Texas
N/A
2012 - 2011
- $6,000
Dean’s List
University of North Texas
N/A
2012
Mentorship
Undergraduate Diversity at Evolution
Evolution Meeting
N/A
2019
- Mentored two undergraduates attending their first conference
Krista Jäger
Dalhousie University
N/A
2017 - 2016
- Assisted honors thesis investigating ranid frog population genetics
- Co-authored natural history note on Rana juliani vocalization
Michael Deutsche
Southern Illinois University at Carbondale
N/A
2017
- Undergraduate assistant, learning lab techniques and experimental design in anuran morphometrics
- Senior project on poison frog call variation
- Co-authored resulting publication
Outreach
Predicting global insect diversity
Science Day
City College of New York
2019
- Invited oral presentation
Peru: where plan C comes first
Herpetology Club
Southern Illinois University at Carbondale
2017
- Oral presentation
There and back again: divergence and convergence in poison frogs
Darwin Week
Southern Illinois University at Carbondale
2017
- Invited oral presentation
Sightseers slither into southern Illinois for Snake Road
Daily Egyptian
N/A
2017
- Interview
Frog diversity and evolution
Kealing Middle School Magnet Program Zoology Club
N/A
2016
- Invited lecture
Frogs: weird wonders of the natural world
Lamar Fine Arts Academy Middle School
N/A
2016
- Invited lecture
Computational Workshops and Courses
Applied Machine Learning
R Studio Conference
Austin, TX
2019
- Workshop
Machine Learning for Scientists
City University of New York
N/A
2019
- Course
The Fundamentals of UX Research
City University of New York
N/A
2019
- Workshop
Genome Assembly and Annotation
American Museum of Natural History
N/A
2019
- Workshop
Analysis of Rad-Sequence Data (RadCamp)
Instituto de Biociências
Universidade de São Paulo
2018
- Workshop
Biostatistics
City University of New York
N/A
2018
- Course
Introduction to GIS
Southern Illinois University at Carbondale
N/A
2017
- Course
Quantitative Zoogeography
Southern Illinois University at Carbondale
N/A
2017
- Course
Intermediate Computational Statistics
Southern Illinois University at Carbondale
N/A
2016
- Course
Biostatistics
University of Texas at Austin
N/A
2014
- Course
Intro to NGS Bioinformatics
University of Texas at Austin
N/A
2013
- Workshop
Affiliations
Society for the Study of Evolution
N/A
N/A
current - 2017